1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of object type transformations and in particular to the field of multiple stage document format type transformations. Still more particularly the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining an optimal multiple stage transformation from a first document format to a second document format.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the modern electronic office environment documents or other objects may exist in many different formats or types. For example, it is common for a document to exist in any one of multiple word processing formats, image formats, graphic formats, facsimile formats, binary formats or other user-defined formats. In a multi-vendor network environment documents may be sent from one user to another user wherein each user may utilize different document editors to work with the document. In situations in which each user desires to edit the document within a different format it is therefore necessary to provide document transformation applications which may be utilized to convert the document from an original document type to a second document type which is manipulatable by the receiver.
Those situations in which a document type may be simply and efficiently transformed from a first document format to a second document format utilizing an existing transformation application are simple and efficient to utilize. However, the increasing complexity and number of document formats which are available in the modern electronic office environment make it necessary to utilize hundreds of different document transformation applications in order to be able to convert a document to a desired format or type.
Additionally, it is often necessary for a document to be transformed into an intermediate stage prior to ultimate conversion to the desired document type due to the lack of a direct transformation application capable of transforming the original document to the desired document format.
The existence of such multistage document transformation applications has meant that there was no expedient and/or efficient method to determine the existence or nonexistence of a multistage format transformation. In modern electronic systems which are capable of performing hundreds of multiple transformations a need existed for a technique to determine whether or not a multiple stage format transformation is possible in order to avoid the expenditure of enormous amounts of processor assets. Such a method and apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/685,810, filed Apr. 16, 1991 by the inventors herein named an assigned to the assignee herein. That application discloses a method and apparatus for identifying the existence of multiple stage document format transformations. However, it should be apparent that the mere existence of a multiple stage document format transformation is generally not sufficient and a need exists for a method and apparatus whereby a particular optimal transformation from one document format to a second document format must be identified.